(1 of )Windsor High School wrestling coach Rich Carnation gives advice to wrestler Aiden Henry during his bout at a wrestling meet between Windsor and Casa Grande high schools in Petaluma on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

Wrestlers converge on Windsor High for team dual tournament

LORI A. CARTER

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | February 11, 2016

Hundreds of high school wrestlers will converge on Windsor High School on Saturday for the North Coast Section Wrestling Team Dual Championships.

Sixteen schools — bringing as many as 20 wrestlers each — will compete in two-team matches all day long in an elimination bracket-style tournament that will crown team champs in two divisions.

Host Windsor, its rival Ukiah and Maria Carrillo are expected to be in the hunt for the Division 2 championship banner, while Healdsburg should do well in Division 3, Windsor coach Rich Carnation predicted.

Matches will start shortly after 10 a.m., following a seeding meeting that will set the competition schedule for the event.

Finals for the two-team showdowns in all 14 weight classes should begin around 3 p.m.

“It’s a real team event. That’s what I love about it,” Carnation said.

Wrestling is often seen as more of an individual competition rather than a team sport, and state champions are crowned individually in each weight class.

“Not everyone can be a state champion. In California, we have roughly 30,000 kids that wrestle,” he said. “At the end of the day in March, in a division, only 14 of them are going to be state champions. That is rare air.”

But in a team competition like Saturday’s meet, an inexperienced wrestler’s performance can mean just as much to his team’s success as a champ’s, the coach said.

Such an event can be a chess match of sorts, Carnation said, as coaches can shuffle wrestlers for better team scoring.

“Even if you’re not a superstar, you can still contribute to your team,” Carnation said. “That’s what I love about wrestling. That kid’s points mean just as much as the other’s.”

Saturday’s meet gives the teams and individuals a final tuneup before league finals are held Feb. 20, followed by the NCS tournament the following week.